sempiternal
by Titania Eli
Summary: A vicious ambush out at sea and a fatal brush with a poisoned bullet resulted in Marco fighting for his very life.


_This story was born from the question 'will substances like poison and sedatives affect Marco?' and many, many discussions and theories and debates with author **Ujvari**, who not only gives me intelligent responses and make me _think_, also gives me the inspiration and motivation to write this oneshot._

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**sempiternal **

It was an ambush that caught them all by surprise. Kaido had attacked at the crack of dawn, startling the Whitebeard Pirates who had only just begun to wake. Kaido had taken advantage of the morning fog, his ship blending among the thick smokiness that hung in the air. The cannonball that struck the side of the _Moby Dick _was the only warning they got before Kaido's smaller ship ghosted up beside them. Ropes were thrown over, hooks digging into the deck of the _Moby Dick _before Kaido's men landed in their midst.

Marco had been one of the more alert ones, having woken up hours ago. He retaliated instantaneously at the sudden raid, shifting into his hybrid form. Kaido's crew was a mixture of ordinary, but merciless men and Zoan Devil Fruit users that fought with a brutal savagery akin to a mindless beast. Even though the Whitebeard Pirates were strong, Kaido's crew seemed to be equally on par with them and it was a stalemate as both sides were evenly matched.

Until Kaido himself appeared, engaging into a furious battle with Whitebeard. The appearance of both Pirate Captains motivated them even further, and the fighting grew more violent.

Marco spied Ace flitting around, his notorious crimson flames flickering around his figure as he knocked down his enemies left and right, before he headed straight towards the other ship. The younger man leaped over to the ship beside the _Moby Dick_ and his body instantly exploded into a flurry of darkened, wrathful flames that incinerated the wooden deck under his feet and wiped out several of Kaido's Zoan users.

Thatch was a wraith beside him, his dual swords spilling blood as his gleeful laughter filled the air. Marco rolled his eyes; his friend could never stay serious even in situations like this.

His muscles only ached slightly as he dodged and kicked and basically, taking down his opponents with all the ease and experience of a Division Commander. Everything was going fine, and he actually had a little fun – some of the Zoan users surprisingly gave him a challenge – until he heard the loud crack of a gunshot. Someone screamed.

Marco spun around, eyes wide. Immediately, fury consumed his sight. His vision tinted with the blue of his immortal flames, his attacks increased in intensity and ferocity as he fought to reach the side of his fallen brother. Not only was the man a Whitebeard Pirate, he was also part of _his _division. And Marco does _not _forgive anyone that dared to mess with _his_ men.

He was Death incarnate as he blazed through the mob of Kaido's pirates, sweeping across the deck of the _Moby Dick_ with cold, calculating anger.

He dropped down beside the injured man, quickly tearing open the vest. He observed the gunshot wound. It wasn't as deep as he had thought, and it didn't hit the bone. But the man – Pike, he vaguely remembered – was still screaming. The latter curled up in his position, his complexion dangerously pale. He flailed wildly in pain, and when Marco grabbed his hand, Pike squeezed back so hard Marco felt his metacarpophalangeal joint fractured. His flames licked the edge of his arm and he felt the crack healed over instantly.

Pike gurgled in agony and his eyes rolled back in his head. Marco watched in shock and horror as the inflamed skin around the wound hardened, turning into a sickening shade of grey that resembled the harsh and coarse surface of a rock. Rapidly, it started to spread over Pike's body in alarming speed. All Marco could do was stared helplessly as his brother died in front of his eyes.

All the while, the battle raged around him as he mourned for his lost brother. Gently, he slid Pike's eyelids closed over his blank, stone-like eyes before joining the battle with renewed determination and anger.

His eyes flicked over the brutal scene in front of him. His first priority was to find the sniper. He snarled as he heard another gunshot ringing across the battlefield. Another man fell, screaming.

He mentally calculated the possible paths where the bullet might have come from. He found his eyes wandering over to Kaido's ship, narrowed at the top of the crow's nest. He spotted a tuft of dark hair and the shine of a reflected light. Instantly, he shifted seamlessly into his Phoenix form and careened towards the crow's nest.

The bullet narrowly missed his head. He dodged the barrage of bullets, swerving in mid-air to avoid them. Instincts screamed at him to _never _let a single bullet hit him. They had saved him several times in the past, so he obeyed. The sniper was getting desperate, his aim going all over the place. Marco sprang forward, his talons ripping into the sniper's eyes. The dark-haired man shrieked in pain, staggering backwards as Marco released him, swinging his rifle around recklessly in a sorry attempt to wallop the Phoenix with it. As he toppled off the crow's nest, he pressed the trigger. The gun went off with a loud bang.

Marco screeched as he felt the bullet _entered _his body. As he dropped from the air, his birdlike body lengthened and transformed back into his human form. He slammed into the deck, sending splinters of wood flying in every direction. He distantly noticed the sniper lying a few feet away from him, the man's neck twisted at a grotesque angle. Marco has never enjoyed killing, but he couldn't help but felt a sense of ruthless satisfaction at seeing Pike's murderer dead.

He bit back a cry of pain as he shakily pressed his hand against the bullet wound. He felt the _kairoseki _bullet draining his Devil Fruit powers, sucking his strength. He jerked as his fingers brushed across something rough. He glanced down, fear hitching his breath as he spotted a flash of greyish tone under the wet, slick blood. _Was he going to die like Pike?_

_No_, his mind snapped. _There's no fucking way you're going to die _here_. _

Swallowing back the flash of fear and apprehension, his fingers delved into the wound. He let out a muffled scream as he ripped out the _kairoseki _bullet from the side of his abdomen. His vision momentarily darkened as he nearly blacked out from the pain. God, it _hurts._

He felt a little of his strength returned once the kairoseki bullet was out of his body. Blue flames flickered weakly to life and the bleeding immediately slowed. The hardening didn't disappear, even at the emergence of his flames, but it did seem to stop spreading.

Marco groaned and slumped weakly, trying to fight off the concussion that was creeping up on him. He was too weak, already expending his strength in maintaining his flames to drive back the poison in his body. If he passed out now, he might not be able to continue healing himself.

"_Marco!" _The thumping of feet alerted him to the arrival of one Portgas D. Ace.

He forcefully pried his eyes open – _when did he close them? – _to see the freckled, panicked face of Ace staring down at him.

"Marco, shit – what the hell happened?" Ace demanded. Marco wanted to roll his eyes at him, but he barely has the strength to even retain his consciousness.

"Oh, _fuck – _Marco, hold on – don't close your eyes, alright? You'll be fine in a minute–" Ace's hand tightened over his, not letting go even as he whipped his head around to holler out a desperate and terrified _"Thatch!"_

He glanced back at Marco, a forced, confident smile on his freckled face as he willed his hands to _stop. Shaking. Right now. _

Marco nearly laughed, wanted to assure the younger man – _just a boy, really_ – that it's fine, that he doesn't have to look that scared. Was that how he had looked when Pike laid dying in front of him and he has absolutely no idea how to _stop _it?

Thatch's face whitened dramatically the moment he saw him. Thatch dropped down beside him, slapping his hand away from his healing wound _(how rude, Marco thought). _

"What the hell is this?" Thatch hissed, pressing down on the roughened, sickly grey tinge of the skin surrounding the wound. Marco jerked, shuddering as a wave of pain racked through his body. Thatch immediately flinched away as if his hand has been burned.

"Ace, get _oyaji_ back to the _Moby Dick_. We have to retreat!" Thatch commanded. He sheathed his swords and gingerly swung Marco over his shoulder. He grimaced as the blonde whimpered in protest. "Sorry, Marco. This will only be a while."

He tightened his grip on Marco and dashed back to the _Moby Dick,_ crossing over via a rope with effortless ease. He released his _Haki_, raising his voice over the clamour of the battle raging around him. "Everyone, retreat! _Marco is hurt. Fall back."_

Despite the cacophony of the on-going battles, every Whitebeard pirate froze the moment they heard that Marco was hurt.

"Fall back!" Thatch repeated loudly. "Get these fuckers off the _Moby Dick _and someone find me the damn doctor!"

"You heard him!" Vista growled. With a yell, he swept his swords downwards. The ensuing force sent several of Kaido's men off the ship and down into the murky sea. The Devil Fruit users were instantly swallowed by the water, dragged down by their unfortunate abilities towards their watery graves.

"Hold on, Marco." Thatch whispered urgently, batting aside several pirates foolish enough to try to stop him. "_Please_ hold on."

Xxx

_"Oyaji!" _Ace screamed. The wood shattered under his feet as the clash between two Yonkos reverberated across the deck of Kaido's ship. Ace was glad that the two Captains had taken their battle away from the _Moby Dick_. Kaido's ship swayed dangerously, and Ace heard an ominous crack as Whitebeard punched the other Yonko, the shockwave ballooning outwards and almost sent him flying into the sea.

The sea water was repelled away from the ship, before crashing back down again. Ace lost his footing as the deck broke.

"_Oyaji_, stop, stop! We have to _retreat_!" he shouted, straining his voice over the unnatural storm that's occurring because of the two Yonkos' battle.

Even at the distance Ace had put between himself and the two Captains, he was starting to feel the effects of their fight. He struggled against his nausea, trembling under the two Yonkos' _Haki_. _So this is what a battle between two Yonkos feel like_, he thought faintly. The two men were _monsters._

"Ace, get away from here!" Whitebeard growled, bisento colliding with Kaido's broadsword. "Return to the _Moby Dick_ first!"

He swung down his bisento with all his strength, forcing Kaido on the defence. The latter smirked up at him, eyes sliding over to Ace. Whitebeard howled with rage and slammed down again.

Ace panted heavily, his limbs shaking with fatigue. He doesn't understand the fury in Whitebeard's eyes, the livid rage in his every strike. He has never seen his Captain this angry before. Did that bastard Kaido said something to Whitebeard?

Whatever it was, he'll think about it later. Right now, he has to get his Captain back to the _Moby Dick _before this pathetic ship sink right into the ocean.

"I'm not returning without you! Come back, _oyaji!_" he screamed in irritation. "_Marco is hurt and he needs you!"_

And that was the trick. Whitebeard froze, his expression contorting into something ugly before he struck the air in between himself and Kaido. The shockwave blasted Kaido backwards and Whitebeard grabbed the opportunity to escape. For a man as huge and intimidating as Whitebeard, he was surprisingly agile and fast on his feet. He seized Ace before jumping back to the _Moby Dick_.

"_Oyaji!" _his crew cried out simultaneously in relief.

He set Ace down and slammed his bisento heavily on the deck. _"Retreat!"_

The rest of the Division Commanders threw the last of Kaido's pirates into the sea before they finally set sail, away from Kaido's sinking ship. As the Whitebeard Pirates slowly relaxed, Whitebeard turned and regarded Ace with a solemn expression. "Take me to Marco now."

Ace shakily nodded and quickly dashed away, knowing that Whitebeard would follow behind him. Now that everything was over, the realization that Marco was hurt _(hurthurtbrotherhurtcomrade) _started to set in. His feet automatically guided him towards the infirmary regardless of his tumultuous emotions. When he saw the ship's doctor, old man Tigarjaw, he nearly trampled over the elderly man in his anxiousness.

"How's Marco?" he blurted out immediately. The old man batted his hands away in annoyance, his scowl failing to hide the worry in his eyes.

"Captain," he greeted Whitebeard solemnly. He glanced at Ace, who was twitching on his feet in agitation. "Marco will live."

"But?" Whitebeard prompted, sensing the concern in the doctor's tone.

Tigarjaw sighed heavily, "I'm afraid I wasn't able to do much. Thatch brought back the bullet that had hit Marco. It was a _kairoseki _bullet laced with _Medousa_, a fatal and deadly poison originated from the West with no known antidote. It was fortunate that Marco had taken out the_ kairoseki _bullet quickly. His Devil Fruit ability managed to save his life... but for the other men that were also affected by _Medousa_..." the old man gave Whitebeard a pitying look. "I'm truly sorry."

"It's fine... continue please." Whitebeard said wearily, his age showing in the sorrowful and fatigued expression on his face.

"Marco's flames were able to hold back _Medousa's _effects while I extracted most of the poison from his bloodstream. The rest of the poison will have to be purge_ slowly _with Marco's own ability." Tigarjaw explained.

"Can... Can I see him?" Ace asked tentatively, voice strangely small.

Tigarjaw eyed him tiredly. Ace shuffled his feet nervously, his hands twitching lightly. Tigarjaw sighed; the boy would sneak into the infirmary even if he banned him from seeing Marco anyway.

"Very well." He said quietly. Ace's face lit up with joy and he make to dash off. The elderly doctor grasped the back of his beaded necklace, nearly throttling the boy in the process. "Don't you _dare_ disturb Marco's rest, or else you'll find yourself at the bottom of the ocean!"

"Y-Yes." Ace stuttered. He quickly scuttled off once he was released.

Tigarjaw's annoyed expression faded as he turned to face Whitebeard. The Captain looked unimaginably _old _under the dull fluorescent lighting.

"Tigarjaw, the bodies..." Whitebeard trailed off, grief colouring his gruff voice.

The doctor's eyes softened. "The men has retrieved and brought them back. I'll go and make preparations for the burials."

Whitebeard nodded tightly, remaining silent. Tigarjaw sighed and reached up to gently pat the Captain's arm before disappearing down the hallway.

"Is it my fault?" Whitebeard murmured, his eyes gliding over to acknowledge the shadowy figure waiting at the corner.

"No," Thatch answered vehemently. "It wasn't your fault you couldn't prevent their deaths. We all live knowing we might die any day, _oyaji._ It was never your fault, nor will it ever be."

Whitebeard gave him a jaded look, conceding his words but not quite agreeing with him. "We nearly lost Marco."

"But we _didn't._" he accentuated insistently. "And in a few days' time, he'll be up and awake nagging at the rest of us as usual."

"I think," Whitebeard chuckled. "That the doctor's orders implied a _few weeks_ at least."

Thatch laughed uproariously, already imagining Marco's indignant face when _(not if because he _will_ wake) _he wakes up and find himself stuck in bed for the next few _weeks. _

"Thatch," the brunette sobered up instantly at the grave look on his Captain's face. "You have to watch over Marco from now on. I know he's capable of protecting himself, but... you know him, he'll always put his brothers before himself."

"Of... Of course. You know I will, _oyaji_, but..." Thatch blinked in astonishment, his Captain's warning giving him a strange, nauseous feeling in his gut. "Did something happen?"

Whitebeard sighed loudly, his lips twisting into a grim smile. "Kaido's attack today wasn't without a reason. We are both Yonko and rivals, but even so, we would not provoke each other under normal circumstances."

"Are you saying...?" Thatch felt dread slid down his spine like ice water. Whitebeard's earnest expression only confirmed his building suspicions.

"You know Kaido have always been experimenting with Zoan types." Whitebeard said. "Is it any wonder that Marco's Devil Fruit would not interest him? I'm surprised he hasn't attacked earlier, but even so... to think he would dare to attack us and tried to steal one of my crew members right under my nose!"

"But if he wanted to steal Marco away... why the _Medousa _poison? Isn't that defeating the very purpose of the attempted kidnap?" Thatch demanded, too angry to remember that he's talking to his Captain.

"Anyone who has ever fought with us knows of Marco's regenerative properties. If Marco managed to survive, he gains an experimental subject _and _a soldier in his crew, killing two birds with one stone. Kaido wouldn't want anyone who is _weak._" Whitebeard scowled fiercely.

"Weak, huh." Thatch grunted. "Who does he think he's dealing with?"

He jerked his head up to meet Whitebeard's stare, his eyes resolved and his smile ferocious. "Don't worry, _oyaji. _I'll take care of Marco. Anyone who thinks of taking away any of our own will _regret _it."

Whitebeard beamed, laughing in approval. His enormous hand came down hard, clapping Thatch on the back. Thatch grimaced, having nearly had his face be acquainted with the floor.

"Good man." He smiled proudly. "Go now, Thatch, to your brother's side."

Thatch bowed in reverence, watching his Captain walked off, mood decidedly better.

Xxx

Marco woke up to a world of pain. His eyes flew open, gasping breathlessly. He took a whole minute to register the man hovering above him, holding him down to the bed.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Marco!" Thatch exclaimed in panic.

Marco calmed down slightly upon seeing the familiar visage of his oldest friend. Thatch exhaled in relief when he noticed the blonde relaxing, flopping back onto the chair.

"You scared the hell out of everyone, Marco." He said idly, reflexively filling a plastic cup full of warm water and pushing it into Marco's hands.

"How long have I been out?" Marco croaked, his hands trembling slightly as he lifted the cup to his mouth. He noticed Thatch watching his hands, tensed to help him in case the cup spilled over.

"Three days." Thatch shrugged. "We have all been taking turns to watch over you. Ace had the previous shift and I had to wrestle him back to his room to get some sleep."

Marco smiled wanly, passing the empty cup over. "That wasn't necessary."

"What are you – wasn't necessary, my _foot._" Thatch nearly exploded. "You almost died, you idiot. Everyone has been frenzy with worry the past three days, thinking you weren't going to wake up!"

"Of course I will." Marco replied, unfazed. "I'm not going to die that easily. Have a little more faith in me, will you?"

"Of course I do." Thatch sighed, the anger rushing out of him instantly. It has always been hard to stay angry at Marco for long.

Marco smiled at him, unexpectedly soft. He reached out to pat Thatch's hand in an apologetic manner, his own way of apologizing for worrying everyone.

"What happened to Kaido?" he decided to ask. He doesn't expect the disgust and fury to suddenly appear on Thatch's face.

"_Oyaji_ managed to sink his ship and we escaped. We lost a few of our men, Marco." The brunette explained, grief flavouring his voice. "Most of them died by _Medousa, _the poison in those bullets."

Oh. Marco blinked. _Medousa_, it sounded vaguely familiar to him. Did they die because they lacked the regenerative powers of his Devil Fruit powers?

Thatch seemed to know what he's thinking, because he leaned forward and whispered in a harsh voice, "It's not your fault for _surviving_, Marco. Stop blaming yourself. We have enough self-blaming going around the ship as it is!"

"_Oyaji_?" he questioned wryly.

Thatch nodded darkly. He understood Marco's feelings. He understood the pain of survivor guilt. It's an insidious, hideous condition that crept into your very mind, something that could break even the strongest of men.

"You probably have to stay in bed for a couple of weeks." He said, quick to change the topic. As he predicted, Marco grimaced, silently mouthing '_a couple of weeks?' _in shock and reluctance. "The old man extracted most of the poison. He's counting on your healing ability to do the rest of the work."

"So as long as the poison is completely purged, I no longer have to be confined to bed?" Marco asked shrewdly.

Thatch narrowed his eyes at him. "Oh, stop that thinking right now. You're staying in bed until you're cleared by that old man!"

He hid a grin when Marco scowled and muttered a 'damn' under his breath.

"And the old man probably wouldn't clear you for active duty until he's 100% sure you're physically fit and healthy, and you have to be, what with that bastard Kaido going after you..." Thatch winced when the other man's eyes went sharp at his accidental slip of the tongue.

"_Explain._" Marco ordered.

Thatch groaned, crossing his arms over his chest in petulance. "_Oyaji _is going to kill me for this..."

"_I _am going to kill you _right now _if you don't start talking." Marco retorted sharply.

The brunette raised his hands defensively. "Alright, alright, I'll talk. Kaido ambushed us with the sole intention of kidnapping you for your Devil Fruit ability. You know how obsessed he is with Zoan types, don't you?"

"Don't I know it..." Marco scowled. "So it's my fault he attacked us?"

"Hey! What did I say about blaming yourself?" Thatch snapped. "It doesn't matter if it's you or Ace or anyone else, every one of us will fight to protect each person! _No one _will blame you, so I want you to stop blaming yourself before I smack you and get myself kick out by Tigarjaw for hitting an injured person!"

"As if I'll allow you to hit me." Marco scoffed, but he looked less guilty. "But if Kaido wants me that much, why did he just try to kill me?"

"If you survived, it proves to him you're _strong._" Thatch emphasized the word 'strong' in distaste. He could freely admit that Marco was strong, perhaps even stronger than himself, but to be acknowledged as strong by a man like Kaido, Thatch suddenly found the word extremely nauseating.

"So he most probably knows of me still alive by now. If his next attempt is anything like this, I might actually die the next time round." The blonde muttered dryly.

"Oi, don't even joke about something like that! Imagine what would happen if Ace heard you..." Thatch shuddered uneasily.

Ace was very defensive – almost to the point of being _over_protective _– _over the people he regarded as important. It was an admirable trait at times – this unwavering loyalty of his, but it could be pretty scary in another perspective. If Marco had actually lost the battle against his fight with _Medousa_, the boy would very likely go berserk and dashed off looking for trouble and get himself killed.

That sort of impulsiveness was going to be the death of him one day.

As if sensing his name being spoken, the door slammed open and the subject of their conversation stumbled in.

"_Marco! _You're awake!" Ace whooped, nearly tripping over his feet as he rushed forward. He unexpectedly grabbed Marco and pulled him into a crushing embrace. It lasted only a mere second, but Marco could feel the desperation and sheer relief in that hug.

"I'm going to tell the others!" Ace cried enthusiastically, staggering over to the door in his hurry.

Before Marco could stop him, Ace had thundered out of the room, shouting at the top of lungs to the entire world that he's finally awake. He sighed in exasperation as Thatch patted his shoulder, chortling in amusement. Soon, the rest of the Division Commanders streamed into the room excitedly, ruining his peace and generally creating a lot of havoc in the already cramped space. Old Man Tigarjaw was going to _murder _them if he knows of this. Marco slid his hand down his face, inwardly thinking _how is this my life_ and then smiled in fond aggravation to himself.

He wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
